You might have heard that some adults and children get certain teeth extracted before braces, this isn’t standard to braces themselves. There are occasions when it’s necessary, however. Most of the time this is because the patient has an overcrowding issue. When there are too many teeth in the mouth, it’s impossible to correctly align the teeth because there simply isn’t the physical space for them to shift into ideal alignment within the supporting bone. In some cases, the patient’s jaw is simply too small to accommodate the number of teeth and an extraction is necessary. In children and some adults, the “baby teeth,” or primary teeth fail to fall out so that permanent adult teeth can emerge; this, too, may require extraction of those primary teeth prior to braces. These are all issues that your orthodontist will discuss with you in your initial consultation if they exist.